# Eyeballs on Stalks or Prehensile Tail? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 4, 2013, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeballs-on-stalks-or-prehensile-tail/675431 "2013-12-04T02:41:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeballs-on-stalks-or-prehensile-tail/675431/41 "2013-12-05T12:16:10Z")
> [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](#): > > I’m all about the wings, personally. Being able to fly under my own power would be super nifty! The human body would need heavier modification than just adding a pair of wings to fly though, as fun as it would be. That’s the difficulty with a lot of these mods, I mentioned adding a foxes nose earlier, but you’d probably have reshape your face into something like a foxes muzzle as well to have all the sensory equipment, then your brain would need modified to process all the new information thats coming in etc I mean you’d probably be better off just modifiying your head into that of a foxes entirely, otherwise it would just look _weird_. This scenario is a furries wet dream, if you’re going to add animal parts then why not do it right and change your entire body? > [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > That seems unlikely, if everyone can modify their body any way they feel like it. Or maybe they mean everyone is going to end up with wings, gills, four arms, four legs, a dog nose, fox ears, eyeballs on stalks, and a prehensile tail. That also seems unlikely. 🙂 I’m actually not entirely sure what the objection was, I mean I think being able to modify the human body in ways you want to would be one of the neatest and most liberating things you can imagine. However myself and my few plucky comrades were backed against the wall desperately fending off the tide of vitriol heading our way, like a handful of desperate survivors against a zombie horde. As far as I can determine they thought there would be even more unfair pressure on everyone to look a certain ideal standard of humanity. My answer to that is that if everyone could look exactly as they want then standards of beauty and attractiveness would change, and there would be a much wider variation in such. The second main objection was that people shouldn’t have to change themselves to fit in, if you are ugly or otherwise unhappy with your looks then you should achieve some sort of zen like acceptance of your faults and be at peace with yourself. To which I say how is body modification different than getting a snazzy new haircut? And if people could modify their outer appearance to match their inner self and being good looking was the norm _(however you perceive that to be)_ then it would be a great leveller in society. Whats inside really would matter more than whats outside. I’m sure messing with Gods plans came into it somewhere. Anyway, as you can see body modification as described in the premise is something I find interesting and while there would undoubtadly be problems I believe it would be overall and undoubted boon for humanity. Unfortunately not everyone feels the same, and are quite strongly opposed in fact. _folds ears back in consternation_ ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeballs-on-stalks-or-prehensile-tail/675431/42 "2013-12-05T13:43:11Z")
For the girls, a detachable penis? (how does that tune go?) for the boys, a detachable uterus? (envision it worn like a colostomy bag outside your body) ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeballs-on-stalks-or-prehensile-tail/675431/43 "2013-12-05T13:44:24Z")
> [@Disposable Hero](#): > > It seemed to be mostly based on the premise that…if it became available everyone would end up looking the same. This is demonstrably false. People already engage in body modification with all sorts of end results. Yes, some do try to go for some sort of widely held ideal (flat stomach, small ass, large breasts, etc.) but others do their damndest to stand out with unique piercings, tattoos, cuts, gages, subcutaneous implants, etc. And, supposing for a moment that everyone _did_ want to end up looking the same. Why would anyone want to be the asshole who says “no, I’m opposed to letting you have what you want.”? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeballs-on-stalks-or-prehensile-tail/675431/44 "2013-12-05T13:57:32Z")
Specifically about the two title choices, I sometimes wonder about going through life with safety goggles on 24/7 like a \*Despicable Me \*Minion, so leave my eyeballs well-set in my skull and give me another dexterous extremity so I can open the door without putting the groceries on the floor. (And **Mr. Dibble** ’s been watching Babylon 5 or Japanese animated porn… it _would_ be fun to have THAT functionality too in the extra appendage…). > [@Disposable Hero](#): > > This scenario is a furries wet dream, if you’re going to add animal parts then why not do it right and change your entire body? The first stripper who turned herself into Omaha the Cat Dancer ( **DON’T** IMAGE-SEARCH AT WORK!!) would so make bank like a bandit… ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeballs-on-stalks-or-prehensile-tail/675431/45 "2013-12-05T14:03:10Z")
> [@chela](#): > > For the girls, a detachable penis? (how does that tune go?) > > for the boys, a detachable uterus? (envision it worn like a colostomy bag outside your body) With this level of tech a fully functional sex-change would probably be easy. > [@JRDelirious](#): > > The first stripper who turned herself into Omaha the Cat Dancer ( **DON’T** IMAGE-SEARCH AT WORK!!) would so make bank like a bandit… I’m not at work and can look up furry porn with abandon…_wait, how do I take that back?!?_ > [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > This is demonstrably false. People already engage in body modification with all sorts of end results. Yes, some do try to go for some sort of widely held ideal (flat stomach, small ass, large breasts, etc.) but others do their damndest to stand out with unique piercings, tattoos, cuts, gages, subcutaneous implants, etc. Agreed 100%, I think it would be fascinating to see how people would modify themselves in the cause of uniqueness and individuality. > [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > And, supposing for a moment that everyone _did_ want to end up looking the same. Why would anyone want to be the asshole who says “no, I’m opposed to letting you have what you want.”? Again agreed, it probably comes under the general heading of, “This is strange and different, I don’t understand it, therefore I don’t like it and it should be banned” _twitches whiskers thoughtfully_ ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeballs-on-stalks-or-prehensile-tail/675431/46 "2013-12-05T14:08:37Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > (And **Mr. Dibble** ’s been watching Babylon 5 or Japanese animated porn… it _would_ be fun to have THAT functionality too in the extra appendage…). Yes, I _was_ specifically thinking of Londo cheating at cards - but _six_ is maybe overkill… ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeballs-on-stalks-or-prehensile-tail/675431/47 "2013-12-05T20:07:53Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Specifically about the two title choices, I sometimes wonder about going through life with safety goggles on 24/7 like a \*Despicable Me \*Minion, so leave my eyeballs well-set in my skull and give me another dexterous extremity so I can open the door without putting the groceries on the floor. (And **Mr. Dibble** ’s been watching Babylon 5 or Japanese animated porn… it _would_ be fun to have THAT functionality too in the extra appendage…).\ As has been pointed out, the eyeballs on stalks would be somewhat vulnerable - we do have the tech to make them well-nigh invulnerable. ---
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2013, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeballs-on-stalks-or-prehensile-tail/675431/48 "2013-12-05T23:29:22Z")
> [@Disposable Hero](#): > > The human body would need heavier modification than just adding a pair of wings to fly though, as fun as it would be. That’s the difficulty with a lot of these mods, I mentioned adding a foxes nose earlier, but you’d probably have reshape your face into something like a foxes muzzle as well to have all the sensory equipment, then your brain would need modified to process all the new information thats coming in etc > > I mean you’d probably be better off just modifiying your head into that of a foxes entirely, otherwise it would just look _weird_. > \ I’m sorry, but if there’s one thing TV and movies about superheroes has taught me, it’s that humans can easily sprout wings out of their shoulders and fly around like eagles. Lawyered! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2013, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeballs-on-stalks-or-prehensile-tail/675431/49 "2013-12-06T01:00:37Z")
I’d go with the prehensile tail. I mean, it’s not that far off from a tentacle. Maybe it could have little gripping pads along one side. And a [del]fist[/del] hand on the end! Since we already have tailbones, the required body mods wouldn’t be huge. On the other hand, when I was in electronics school, every time I had to solder things together, I wished that I had another pair of arms and hands. When inserting electronic components and soldering them into place by hand, you basically need one hand to hold the circuit board, one hand to hold the component, one hand to hold the soldering iron where the component touches the circuit board, and one hand to hold the solder itself and feed it to the workpoint to be melted. Hand solderers manage with a variety of jigs and clamps to hold one or more of the above parts in position, but having four hands would make the job _so_ much easier. On the gripping hand, adding two arms would require much greater changes to the human musculoskeletal system. I _think_ that you’d need a second set of shoulder blades, collar bornes, etc. Not to mention mounting points for muscles and tendons… new blood vessels… new nerves… it would be fascinating to develop. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2013, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeballs-on-stalks-or-prehensile-tail/675431/50 "2013-12-06T01:09:24Z")
> [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](#): > > I’m sorry, but if there’s one thing TV and movies about superheroes has taught me, it’s that humans can easily sprout wings out of their shoulders and fly around like eagles. > > Lawyered! 😛 Pffffttttt, you go ahead and throw yourself off a tall building to test those snazzy new wings of yours. Meanwhile I’ll be over here happily grounded and experimenting with my handy new tongue. _licks own eyebrow_ > [@Sunspace](#): > > On the gripping hand, adding two arms would require much greater changes to the human musculoskeletal system. I _think_ that you’d need a second set of shoulder blades, collar bornes, etc. Not to mention mounting points for muscles and tendons… new blood vessels… new nerves… it would be fascinating to develop. Someone upthread wanted to add _four_ new arms. :eek: But you’re right, the whole thing would be a fascinating exercise in biological engineering. I imagine it would be a brave person to sign up to the first few generations of this technology. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2013, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeballs-on-stalks-or-prehensile-tail/675431/51 "2013-12-06T02:50:42Z")
I could live with a prehensile tail. I already have prehensile toes - practically opposable. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2013, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeballs-on-stalks-or-prehensile-tail/675431/52 "2013-12-06T07:40:04Z")
If I could any and all modifications I wanted to (without judgement, discrimination, messing with God’s plan, etc.) I would probably go kitsune myself. Best to limit myself to say, three tails maximum, though: Anymore and they’d get in the way too much. Even with three, I might find it uncomfortable to sleep on my back. It occurs to me that an era of unlimited body modifications would not only be pretty sweet for furries, but a godsend for pre-op transsexuals. If we’ve figured out a way to literally turn humans into anthros, it would stand to reason that turning a person into a fully-fertile member of the opposite gender would be an intermediate step. No longer would anyone feel they were trapped inside the wrong body. And then if we made it easier and safer for middle-aged women to conceive children… Dam, we are going to run out of room on this planet within my lifetime. Move some of those body-mod scientists into the field of FTL research! ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2013, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeballs-on-stalks-or-prehensile-tail/675431/53 "2013-12-06T09:02:34Z")
> [@ekedolphin](#): > > If I could any and all modifications I wanted to (without judgement, discrimination, messing with God’s plan, etc.) I would probably go kitsune myself. Best to limit myself to say, three tails maximum, though: Anymore and they’d get in the way too much. Even with three, I might find it uncomfortable to sleep on my back. I like it, but having your spine divide like that at the base might be problematic. I’d be happy enough with one tail myself, anything else is just being ostentatious. 😉 > [@ekedolphin](#): > > It occurs to me that an era of unlimited body modifications would not only be pretty sweet for furries, but a godsend for pre-op transsexuals. If we’ve figured out a way to literally turn humans into anthros, it would stand to reason that turning a person into a fully-fertile member of the opposite gender would be an intermediate step. > > No longer would anyone feel they were trapped inside the wrong body. I mentioned that earlier, and if this technology was indeed commonplace then the, ‘But that’s _weird_’, factor would fall by the wayside. In Iain Banks’ ‘Culture’ story-universe its people who _don’t_ change sex at least once in their lives that are considered odd. > [@ekedolphin](#): > > Dam, we are going to run out of room on this planet within my lifetime. Move some of those body-mod scientists into the field of FTL research! You have my vote. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyeballs-on-stalks-or-prehensile-tail/675431.md?page=2)